Publikation

Clinical pain and experimental pain sensitivity in progressive supranuclear palsy

Wissenschaftlicher Artikel/Review - 30.11.2011

PubMed
DOI

Zitation
Stamelou M, Dohmann H, Brebermann J, Boura E, Oertel W, Höglinger G, Möller J, Mylius V. Clinical pain and experimental pain sensitivity in progressive supranuclear palsy. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2011; 18:606-8.
Art
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel/Review (Englisch)
Zeitschrift
Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2011; 18
Veröffentlichungsdatum
30.11.2011
eISSN (Online)
1873-5126
Seiten
606-8
Kurzbeschreibung/Zielsetzung

OBJECTIVE
We aimed to assess spinal nociception and experimental pain sensitivity in progressive supranuclear palsy-Richardson's syndrome (PSP-R) compared to patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and healthy controls (HC).

METHODS
Spinal nociception as measured by the nociceptive flexion reflex (NFR) and experimental pain sensitivity as measured by heat and electrical pain thresholds were determined in non-demented, non-depressed, probable PSP-R patients (N = 8), PD patients (N = 19) and 17 HC.

RESULTS
PSP-R patients exhibited lower electrical pain thresholds and a tendency for lower NFR thresholds as compared to HC. No significant differences between PSP-R and PD patients were found with respect to experimentally-induced pain. However, significantly less PSP-R than PD patients reported disease-related pain.

CONCLUSIONS
Degeneration of the descending inhibitory control system within the brainstem in PSP-R might lead to increased experimental pain sensitivity while frontal cortical deterioration may alter self-estimation of pain.